With seven of eight draft picks already under contract, the Chicago Bears have a head start on most of the NFL when it comes to signing their rookie class. But the Detroit Lions won’t be too far behind.

Since the new collective bargaining agreement was signed in 2011, the Lions have been one of the first teams to get their rookie class signed every year.

Slotted rookie contracts make the process easier, and the Lions are one of the few teams in the NFL that haven’t hassled over offset language with their recent top picks.

Throw in the fact that, as the 10th overall pick, tight end Eric Ebron almost certainly will have his entire rookie contract guaranteed, and there’s a good chance that the Lions sign their eight-member draft class by the time rookie minicamp begins Friday.

Ebron’s four-year contract will be worth about what Chance Warmack got from the Tennessee Titans as the No. 10 pick last year. Warmack’s $12.2-million deal was fully guaranteed, but he receives a guaranteed roster bonus in lieu of higher base salaries every year.

Last year, the Lions had their entire rookie class signed by the start of rookie minicamp. In 2012, first-round pick Riley Reiff signed before the start of training camp, while the rest of class was under contract in the spring.

With just $1.37 million in available cap space as of this morning, the Lions, barring a last-minute deal with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, likely will have to make a roster move or do one or two simple contract restructurings to free enough up enough room to sign their rookies.

Players still get all of the money coming to them in a simple restructuring; they just convert a portion of their base salary to a signing bonus for cap purposes.

Players with high base salaries and multiple years left on their deals, such as Calvin Johnson and Glover Quin, are prime candidates for simple restructurings.